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EC English Language Centers

Engaged employer

EC English Language Centers Reviews

3.8

71% would recommend to a friend

(247 total reviews)
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Andrew Mangion

60% approve of CEO

58% positive business outlook

EC English Language Centers has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 247 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The EC English Language Centers employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

247 reviews
1.0
3 Aug 2017

Where to start?

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Overall, I worked with some amazing people and in some great teams. Students were great and good fun generally.

Cons

I worked for EC for a long time, between 5-10 years. Initially it seemed a good place to work. The CD in the school had control over budgets, staffing levels etc. However as a people manager, the CD was awful. For example, a member of staff would talk to them about a personal issue in confidence, and within minutes that private information would have been shared 1:1 with every other member of the team. Or going into a class full of students and shouting at them and then the teacher for having coffee in class. Not very professional. These are just a couple of examples, it gets worse..... With the industry struggling, instead of actually focusing on customer service, staff were cut and any mention of spending money came with a look of shock and horror. Students dont want an orange pen and a notepad. They want their shower fixed in their ensuite room that they spend £250 a week on. They don't want to wait two weeks for this when it could be done in a day. Staffing levels were 'standardised' depending on the number of student weeks a school had per year. Sounds good on paper but is ridiculous in reality. One school out sources all its accommodation to external agencies. Has residences managed by another company and doesn't take school groups. Another school with the same number of staff has to manage all of its own residential accommodation. Place students in families, audit families and hit BC & ISI criteria; and have up to 200 extra students a week in school groups. It is crazy. There is so much more but my fingers are tired....

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EC English Language Centers Response
8y
Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry to hear that you were unhappy - I assume that these feelings have only been present recently given that you state you have worked at EC for 5-10 years? It would be helpful if you would contact me directly so we can talk through some of your concerns you raise regarding your CD -since your review is anonymous it is very difficult for me to follow up on any of your points relating to them. Regarding your points on customer service I am afraid I have to strongly contest these. EC has spend a huge amount of time and investment in becoming the leading school for customer service. We have been tracking our NPS for nearly 5 years now and it is rating higher than many leading consumer brands. Our Orange Carpet Service for students has won prestigious awards. The happiness of our students and our staff is paramount importance to us at EC. If you wish to discuss this further then please contact me at lucybarry@ecenglish.com
1.0
24 Jan 2020

Not a very good school

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Profits over people, do not work here

Cons

Bad school to both work and study. Teachers are poorly paid and overworked. Students are passed on through a mill and are not adequately prepared to take on even introductory courses at poorly private colleges.

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EC English Language Centers Response
6y
Dear Colleague, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I was disappointed to note your comments regarding profits over people and conditions for teachers. We pride ourselves in delivering an outstanding level of education to our students, and recognise that to do so we must attract, employee and retain a high calibre of teaching staff. Our teachers are paid according to a teacher pay scale that takes into account both years of experience and qualifications, and we regularly benchmark our salaries to ensure we are paying a competitive salary in the industry. With regards to the students being unprepared, we dispute this and would point out that the EC academic program was created by a team of experts and is constantly evaluated to ensure the highest standards for our students, and we are proud to say we have received international recognition through industry awards. Thanks again for taking the time to leave review and we wish you much success in your future endeavours. Julian Bell Global HR Director
1.0
25 Dec 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Colleagues are friendly and casual

Cons

We used to get Christmas weeks off but ec has since decided to keep us working now. It is pointless staying open during a major holiday. Many students do not wish to be in class so business is slow. We sit here like bored animals. Now I can’t even spend an important holiday with family because 1 day is not enough for me to take a long train ride home. At least last year we had the embassy acquisition keeping all of us very busy and fulfilled. I’m sure none of the upper management has any care for this change since they probably have the power to take off during the holidays anyways. That or they are able to put work before family and expect their employees to do the same.

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EC English Language Centers Response
6y
Dear Colleague, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I was pleased to read your comments regarding our friendly team but note your views on holiday over the Christmas period. It is difficult to comment on the specific holiday situation in your location as I do not know where you work, and as we are a global organisation, holiday will vary from country to country. As a rule, we try to strive for a balance between offering the best possible service for our students with ensuring our team have enough time off to maintain that work/life balance. As a global education company, we must be mindful and considerate of multiple cultures, backgrounds and religions, amongst other things. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this with you further so we can fully address your concerns. Regards Julian Bell Global HR Director
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Glassdoor has 284 EC English Language Centers reviews submitted anonymously by EC English Language Centers employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if EC English Language Centers is right for you.